Thread: Small chips on 2 razors - why?

Today I was going to refresh my Dovo Bismarck and Nate's Straight on a 12k Naniwa, as I noticed I seem to have been experiencing some small nicks from the Dovo when using my left hand. I looked at the edge with a low-power loupe and saw a small chip, which is more visible from one side than the other. It is about an inch from the toe. I was able to get rid of it with a little work with my 8k Naniwa and followed up with the 12k. If I look hard I can see this defect with the naked eye. I have been using the Dovo as my honing training razor, and feel like I've been getting a pretty decent edge.

Then I decided to look at the Nate's Straight with the loupe, and found a small chip on the edge of that razor too! It is almost exactly at the halfway point on the edge. Not visible with the naked eye. I have never touched this razor with a hone myself, only CrOx.

So -- I am pretty confident I haven't hit the edge of either razor on the faucet or any other hard thing. Just wondering how I might have acquired these problems?

Is there anything on the surface of your 12k that could be imbeded and causing these issues?
Maybe try lapping the 12k and seeing if that changes your outcome.
Apoligies, I just reread the post. Do you use the crox on both razors?

You could be unknowingly over working that part of the blade with pressure.
Try a lighter touch and fewer laps..

It sounds to me like you might have an abundance of CrOx in one place on your strop. Or something else that is causing the chip. If they appear in roughly the same spot on both razors I think this is the most likely cause.

I hope that you can get it out with the stones. These are both great razors, I have a Nate's myself and love it so I really hope that you can get it back to good condition. I know that Nathan offers lifetime free honing to the original owner so you could send it back to him. At least that way you would have a comparison for the Dovo too.

Good luck.

I would check the strops. Something stuck in the paste maybe. You should be able to feel it as you drag your razor over it though I would think. Maybe the way you close your razors too. Do you carefully guide them in or just .........

Great replies!
I have been using my fairly new Mastro Livi loom strop, primarily the CrOx side about weekly, so I will need to take a look at it.

Originally Posted by 400E

Great replies!
I have been using my fairly new Mastro Livi loom strop, primarily the CrOx side about weekly, so I will need to take a look at it.

I don't personally use crox but I believe you don't use that every time you strop. Only when the blade starts tugging. If you are using it every time it could be causing your edge to degrade and micro chip. If my thinking is correct.

Originally Posted by ejmolitor37

I don't personally use crox but I believe you don't use that every time you strop. Only when the blade starts tugging. If you are using it every time it could be causing your edge to degrade and micro chip. If my thinking is correct.

This is very true, I only use my CrOx loaded paddle strop very occasionally. When I say loaded that is an overstatement too. Not too much and be sure that it is nice and even over the stropping area.

In truth since I got my Naniwa 12K I use the CrOx strop even less and I can see it not getting used at all in the future.

Originally Posted by ejmolitor37

I don't personally use crox but I believe you don't use that every time you strop. Only when the blade starts tugging. If you are using it every time it could be causing your edge to degrade and micro chip. If my thinking is correct.

Most folks only use it for touch up, but at one point they did test that around here. Daily stropping with CrOx to see how fast it would degrade the edge. With good technique the only result was smooth shaves and polished edges.

I really think it depends on what technique is employed, and how well it's executed.

Possibilities:
* razor doesn't like one of the stones (this was the case for the shapton 16k glasstone a couple of years ago, or perhaps some of the stones before it - strange failures occurred at edges right in the middle of finish, probably because the stones were too aggressive for the razor).
* Something is on the stone (run your hand over the stone, or a good razor and feel for it. If there is something big enough to chip the bevel, you should feel it
* something is on the strop (same thing - take an undamaged razor, run it over the strop for one pass, see if you find a scratch on the bevel (there will probably be one)). If there is a scratch on the bevel, you should be able to tell approximately where it is on the strop (even if you can't feel it). Once you know what side it's on (left or right, of course, not front vs. back), you can make another pass only on the top half and the bottom half - you should be able to find the culprit eventually by splitting the area. Use tape on the sides if you need to. Remove the contaminant with a pin or your fingernail when you find it.

If the strop is loaded with crox to an extreme degree, I would take a rag lightly oiled with mineral oil and wipe it off until you have a very thin amount.

It could be something (dirt) on your face if it only happens once. If it happens every day the same way, then probably not.